A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to devices for measuring the length of an object and methods of using the measuring device to accomplish the measurement objective. More particularly, the present invention relates to such devices and methods that are specifically configured to measure a portion of the leg of an animal. Even more particularly the present invention relates to such devices and methods that are useful for measuring a portion of the leg of a dog for the purpose of establishing a jump height in a competitive race, such as a Flyball competition.
B. Background
Many competitive sporting events pertain to the relative performance of one or more animals, including various horse and dog racing competitions, in which one animal competes against other animals to run a specified distance in the fastest time. A very popular dog racing sport is commonly known as Flyball, which is a relay type of race competition in which one team of dogs competes against another team of dogs. In the typical Flyball race, two teams of four dogs each race side-by-side over a course of a specified length while jumping over a plurality of hurdles along the course and retrieving a ball from one end of the course. Official Flyball competitions require each dog in the team to race, one at a time in a relay fashion, down a fifty-one foot course while jumping over four spaced apart hurdles of a specified height, retrieve a ball from a box-like device, commonly referred to as a flyball box, and then return the ball to the beginning of the course where the next dog then performs the same tasks. The flyball box is configured such that the dog must step on a large pedal-like device to activate the release of the ball, which is typically a tennis ball, that the dog catches or otherwise retrieves. Once all four dogs on a team have correctly completed the course, the team has finished the race and the fastest team is declared the winner of the race.
The two primary Flyball sanctioning organizations in the United States, which are United Flyball League International (U-FLI, the assignee of the present invention) and North American Flyball Association (NAFA), allow any dog of any size or breed, including mix breeds, to compete in their sanctioned Flyball competitions. Because part of the race involves jumping over hurdles along the course and different dogs are of different heights, which tends to give a jumping advantage to a taller dog (though not always true), the rules are configured such that the size of the smallest dog in a team sets the height of the hurdles for all of the dogs in that team. Based on a measured size of the smallest dog, which is intended to reflect its jump height, the height of the hurdles is determined from a chart or other mechanism so that a certain size dog will always have to jump a certain height of hurdle.
To provide a consistent course from one tournament or other type of competition to another so that individual and/or dog teams and their competitive times can be compared, it was necessary to develop a uniform manner in which to measure the dog for setting the height of the hurdles. Ideally, the selected form of measurement would correspond, at least generally, to the ability of the dog to jump. The standard method of measuring dogs for determining the height of the hurdles for Flyball purposes is to determine the dog's wither height using a wicket type of measuring device. This same type of device is utilized in other dog sports, including but not limited to Agility competitions, which is another dog sport where a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course for time and accuracy, and in Conformation shows, in which judges evaluate a dog for how well it conforms to published breed standards. The measurement of the dog's withers is the distance from the ground to the highest point of its back at the shoulders. The withers measurement is made to the ridge that is located between the shoulder blades just behind the base of the dog's neck. To obtain an accurate wither height, the dog should be measured standing on a hard, level surface with the front legs vertical and the head in its natural position. Though not that consistently accurate, one way to measure the withers height is to tape a yardstick to a vertical surface, such as a wall, place one edge of a ruler or triangle against the yardstick so that it extends outward from the yardstick and then slide the ruler/triangle down the yardstick until it rests on the dog's withers. The point on the yardstick at the bottom of the ruler or triangle will be the withers height.
For purposes of dog competitions, it is necessary to have a more consistent and accurate method of determining withers height so that dogs can be fairly compared, as in Conformation shows, or the course can be properly adjusted, as in Flyball or Agility competitions. Over the years, various wicket type of measuring devices have been developed to measure the withers height of a dog or other animal. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 325,134 to Wainwright and U.S. Pat. No. 721,800 to Heatly describe height measuring devices that are of the type having a freely upstanding measuring stick with an arm cantilevered therefrom that rests on the point to be measured, which are devices generally similar to the yardstick method set forth above. The Wainwright patent describes the device being used to measure the wither height of a horse. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,943,630 and 4,037,327, both to Hildebrand, describe dog height measuring wickets that comprise a U-shaped member having a pair of spaced apart tubular legs, an interconnecting bar at the top of the legs, a cross bar connecting the legs below the interconnecting bar and mechanisms for adjusting and indicating the height of the cross bar. In use, the person using the wicket slips the device over the dog's shoulders, places the wicket's feet on the floor and determines whether the dog's shoulder height is below the preset height of the cross bar or not. A number of devices at least generally similar to the patented devices described above are presently commercially available.
Once the withers height of the dog is determined, this information is utilized to adjust the height of the hurdles or other jump devices. In Flyball, for instance, certain organizations utilize the wither height to directly calculate the height of the hurdles which the dogs must jump over as they run the required course. As an example, under current NAFA rules the hurdle height is set at four inches (10 cm) below the withers height of the smallest dog, with the minimum hurdle height being seven inches (20.3 cm) and the maximum hurdle height being fourteen inches (40.6 cm).
Although measuring the withers height of a dog with a wicket is the currently accepted and sanctioned height measurement for all competitive dog sports, including Flyball, this method and the available devices have well known limitations. One such limitation is that the wither height can be substantially affected by varying stances or foot placement by the dog and/or its handler that results in the shoulder blades being raised or lowered. Unfortunately, the varied stance or foot placement creates an inconsistent procedure of accurate wither measurement that can result in a one to two inch jump height variance for an individual dog. The time that it takes to position the dog in the correct stance and the length of time that the dog must remain stationary in that position often results in high stress levels for the dog, its handler and the judge conducting the wither height measurement. Another problem is that because the wicket method of measurement measures from the ground to the withers it includes the height of the dog's body, which generally results in heavy bodied dogs receiving higher jump measurements. As a result of the higher jump measurements, the heavy bodied dogs must jump disproportionately higher jump heights. As well known, this can negatively impact these longevity of these dogs in performance events, such as Flyball and the like.
In addition to the foregoing, most wicket devices are not that easy or quick to use. For instance, most such devices require additional tools, such as pliers and a level, to adjust and the device must be leveled and/or calibrated before use. The floor or other surface on which the dog and the wicket stands must be level, something that is not always possible. Further, most wickets are relatively heavy and awkward (due to their dimensions) to carry, making them difficult to transport. This is a particular problem for flying when the wicket must fit into a standard suitcase or require special packaging.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved measurement device and method for measuring the relative jump height capability of related animals so that these measurements can be utilized to set the height levels of apparatuses to be jumped. The preferred measurement device should be easy to utilize and configured to obtain consistent, repeatable measurements that can be generally correlated to the animal's jumping ability. Preferably, the measurement device will be suitable for hand-held use, easy to transport and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. The preferred measurement device should remove the various variables associated with presently configured devices for measuring the wither height of the animal. The preferred method of use should reduce the amount of time and variances that are associated with present methods of determining the animal's relative jumping ability. Preferably, an improved method of use will allow a person to quickly and accurately correlate a measured length on the animal to the height of which an apparatus should be set for the animal to jump over.